Opinions of Friday, 27 January 2012

Columnist: Nuhu, Alhassan

Open Letter To The President

Mr. President, “Young Democrat” a grass roots NDC group of young men and women, will like to coddle your attention for a few minutes despite your busy schedules and your determination to execute the affairs of our dear nation.

“Young Democrat” members are privileged and humbled to write you these few words though representing the voices of the larger masses of young men and women in our strong holds across the country, especially in the Northern sector and Volta regions. Remember, if we do not come to vote in 2012 and protect ballot boxes, NDC will lose the elections.. So please read or petition and take it seriously.

Your Excellency, our main concern has to do with recent difficulties which seem to blemish the image of the government as well as our precious NDC party. Larger masses of young men and women across the country believe that these difficulties kept on coming simply because of improper government communication apparatus. Therefore members of “Young Democrat” and grass roots men and women of NDC believes that it is necessary to upgrade government communication apparatus so that we can minimise sour communication between government and party grass roots level.

Mr. President, we are appealing to you to invite more experienced people into your government to strength the communication apparatus and the government’s image. We believe men like Hon. Mike Gizo, and Hon. Spio-Garbrah have the pedigrees as well as capacity to bridge the communication gaps between government, NDC grass roots members and also Ghanaian population as a whole, . Maybe, other men like Dr Tony Aidoo and Excellency Victor Smith and Lee Ocran too need to be given more visible frontline portfolios so they can make up for those who have had to leave the government. Those ministrs who have stayed in the same portfolios since 2009 need something new in their lives to become more active.

We are in particular concerned that at time when Ghana is playing in CAN 2012 soccer tournament, we are unable as Ghana or NDC to put our best players on the field. Meantime, our opponents are scoring many goals against us with Wayomegate , etc. If Abedi Ayew or Asamoah Gyan are ready to help Ghana at CAN 2012, should the coach consciously leave them on the bench and field weaker players? Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, for example, from Wikepedia, as a Minister of Communication of Ghana, from 1997 to 1998 initiated, developed and implemented policies and programmes that supported the increasing convergence of telecommunications, broadcasting, the Internet, publishing, news media and postal services, all of which were under his supervision. Concurrently, as chairman of the National Communication Authority, he had responsibility for regulating all aspects of the telecom, Internet and broadcasting sectors. We as Ghanaians all saw that Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, as an ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 1997, became successful in rebuilding Ghana’s image across the USA, including organising an unprecedented record-breaking eight-city investment promotion programme for Ghana’s president in the USA. As a result partly of the successful bilateral programmes he executed, Ghana became the first country to be visited by U.S. president Bill Clinton during his famous five-country Africa visit in 1998. This visited of president Bill Clinton helped to make Ghana a recipient of the Millennium Challenge Account. Mr. President, we think it is a shame that an honest, hard working man like Martin Amidu had to leave your government. Also sorry that Hon Betty Mould’s departure has reduced the female ratio in government and Cabinet. Mrs Nana Rawlings, also an Ashanti woman, can come and replace Mrs Idrissu. Someone like Alhaji Huudu Yahayaj, who understands the party very well, can also be brought to the field. So can Gilbert Iddi. A man like Hon, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, who has enormous knowledge in communication, business, ICT, banking and diplomacy, and loved by the youth, will be good to include in the government in almost any good role. Dr. Spio-Garbrah is an asset to Ghana as well as NDC and we will be happy to see him in government soon if NDC wants to win election 2012..

Thanks very much your Excellency